Sanwo-Olu signals rebuilding of Ajegunle auto parts market
Lagos state Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Wednesday laid the foundation laying stone for the rebuilding of the Akere auto spare parts market, located in Ajegunle in the Ajeremi-Ifelodun Local Government Area.
The governor also donated the sum of N100 million to the traders.
A mid-night fire last Wednesday gutted the market run predominantly by Igbo traders. The incident also led to the death of a taxi driver, who was close to the scene.
The incident has attracted ethnic colouration, with an opposition governorship candidate Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour saying the traders were punished for their political choice.
Rhodes-Vivour, who has a Yoruba father and mother who is Igbo, relies heavily on protest votes mainly from Igbo, other non-natives and disenchanted Yoruba voters.
But, cautioning against ethnicizing the incident, Governor Sanwo-Olu urged residents to refrain from passing “judgment ahead of investigation.”
The governor urged the state’s “Commissioner of Police to immediately launch a full investigation into the cause of this incident” and to ensure that “all vulnerable markets must be protected.”
